Folding-machine.



F. MEISEL.

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEc. ze, IsII. RENEWED Nov. I, I9I5.

Z991," Z531? Z527] L FigiZ.

MTA/55555: 5j

F. MEISEL,

FOLDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC.26. I9II. REIIEWED Nov. 1,1915.

Rxtented June 6, 1916,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 mamie.,

151% ZZQM F. MEISEL.

FOLDING MACHINE. APPL1cAT1oN msn DEc.2s,1'911. RENEwED Nov. 1,1915.

19116111611 June 6, 1911s.

I z5 225 Fig. 6.

UNITED STATES PATENT oEErcE.

FRANCIS MEISEL, 0F DORCHESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO MEISEL PRESS AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOLDING-MACHINE.

Application led December 26, 1911, Serial No. 667,809. Renewed November 1, 1915.

-nism and is herein illustrated in connection with a' machine for forming in a web of paper or similar material a series of zigzag folds. v

Ilitherto it has been customary to crease or perforate the web at intervals preparatory to making the folds before feeding it to the folding cylinders, whereby a creasing or perforating mechanism separate from the folding cylinders was required. In order,

thereforeto obviate the necessity for such separate mechanism, one object ofthe present invention consists in-the provision in a machine of the class described of a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, coperating means carried by said cylinders for creasing or perforating said web at intervals, means actingalternately for holding alternate portions of said web first upon one cylinder and then upon the other for a portion of its respective revolution, and means for Stripping the web from the cyllnders and laying it in zigzag folds. There results, thus. a combined creasing or perforating and folding machine of compact form and simple structure whereby the'desired result is accomplished with greatI speed and efficiency.

In the illustrative machine the alternate portions of the web are held 'first upon one cylinder and then upon the other by means of suction; and, in order to facilitate this operation and to simplify the-jmechanism by which it is applied. another feature of the invention consists in the V provision of two stationary chambered bearing members arranged s'ide by side and provided with peripheral channels connecting with the interior thereof, and a pair of revoluble cylinders mountedrespectively upon said members, said cylinders being provided with rows of ports, one .row for each fold t0 be Specification of Letters Patent.

directions indicated by Patented June 6, 1916.

Serial No. 59,152.

produced, which register alternately with said channels whereby alternate portions of a web are carried first in one direction upon the periphery of one cylinder and then in the other direction upon the periphery of the other.

n These and other features'of the invention, including certain details of construction and combinations of parts will be described in connection with an illustrative machine and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings2 Figure 1 is a cross section through a folding mechanism in which the present invention is embodied. Fig. 2 is a section of the chambered member and cylinder on the llnes B-A, A-C of Fig. 1 looking in the the small arrows,

the cylinder and member having been opened 'out to show the parts more clearly. They .upper half of Fig. 2 is thus a section on the line B-A, and the lower half is a section on the line A-C. Fig. 3 is a section similar to Fig. 41 but-showing a mod-ification in which a fan is Vlocated inside the chambered member'. Fig. l is a section on the line D-E of Fig. 8. Fig. 5 is a section similar to Fig. 1 but showing a second modiand the web is stripped from the cylinders by suitably actuated fingers, and Fig. 6 is a section on the line F-G. I

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the two portions of the folding mechanism are identical except for the relative position of certain channels, and consequently it will be sufficient to describe one of them in detail.

Fast to the frame 1 of the machine are two sleeves 3 and 5, and in these lsleeves a chambered bearing member 7 is held in fixed position by screw bolts 9. This bearing member `comprises a central tubular portion -having an imperforate partition 11 at its center, circular anges 13 the peripheriesof which serve as bearings for a cylinder presently tobe described, and a radiatinfr chambered)oi-tiont the cross-section `of which is approximately a sector aswill be apparent from an inspection of Fig. 1.

' lication in which pressure is dispensed with ber 15 being similarly connected with the bore on the other side of the partition by a similar slot 19. The right-hand end of the tubular portion of the member 7, as viewed in Fig. 2, is connectedwith any suitable source of suction, and the left-'hand end with any suitable source of pressure, the plain arrows indicating the direction of action of the suction and the feathered arrows that of the pressure when ports and channels, presently to be described, are in register.

Portions of the flanges 13 form the end walls of the suction and pressure chambers; the side walls are formed -by webs 21; and the outer wall is curved on the arc otl a circle, as shown in Fig. 1, and connects the ends of the webs 21. A web 28 separates the suction chamber from the pressure chamber. In the periphery of this outer wall are formed suction channels 25, said channels extending straight through the outer wall opposite the suction chamber 1l and being extended onto and nearly across that portion of the outer wall opposite the pressure chamber 15, as Shown in full lines in the left-hand member of Fig. v1. Similar but shorter pressure channels 27 extend through the outer wall opposite the pressure chamber 15, as shown in full lilies in the righthand member of Fig. 1. The suction channels are approximately degrees in length and the pressure channels approximately 45 degrees in the illustrative machine.

Mounted to revolve upon this chambered member, which has been described above, is a folding cylinder 29 having rows of suction ports 31 and similar rows of pressure ports 33. In the illustrative machine there are shown two rows ot tour suction and two rows of four pressure ports, ybut it should be understood `that the number of rows as well as the number of ports in each rou7 may be varied as desired. The suction ports 31 are spaced longitudinally of the cylinder so as to be in line circumferentially ot the cylinder with the suction channels 25; and the pressure ports 33 are similarly spaced to be similarly in line with the pressure channels 27 Any suitable means for rotating the cylinder may be provided, and, as shown, said cylinder is fast to a gear 30. The righthand cylinder, as viewed in Fig. l, has been described; the left-hand cylinder is similar in construction, and the corresponding elements ot said left-hand cylinder have been given the saine reference numeralsl with the .exponent It will be understood that the pressure channels of one member are arranged in line with the suction channels oit the other member, that is, a transverse section through thecylinders in the plane oit any two suction ports of one cylinder cuts through the tw'o corresponding pressure ports of the other cylinder. In Fig. 1, for

ideama example, the section is through the two suction ports 31 of the lett-hand cylinder, and this plane cuts through the two corresponding pressure ports 33 of the righthand cylinder. It will now be clear that when the cylinders are rotated in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1,v first a row of suction ports of one cylinder will register with the suction channels from upper points just above a horizontal plane through the axis of rotation otl said cylinder to lower points substantially in a vcrtical plane through said axis; and` then, at'tcr an interval, a row ot' pressure ports will register with the pressure channels from upper points in a plane extending through said axis and inclined at approximately 45 degrees to lower points located slightly beyond the vertical plane referred' to above.

With the construction thus far described, if a web ot' paper 100, creased or perforated at interrals` is properlyY t'ed to the cylinders the operation ot' the machine will be as follows: Starting with the parts in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the lower row of suction ports 31 ot the right-hand cylinder is holding the web in place upon said cylinder. When the cylinders have revolved a few degrees, this row of ports will pass the ends ot' the corresponding channels 25 thereby freeing the web, while at approximately the same time therow of suction ports 31 at the right of the other cylinder will have come into register with the channels 25 thereby sucking the web to the letthand cylinder. When the cylinders have revolved approximately 45 degrees farther', the row of pressure ports 33 at the left vof the right-hand cylinder will register with the pressure channels 27 thereby stripping the right-hand fold :from the right-hand cylinder; and, during the next -l degrees of revolution, the air forced through these ports will lay the right-hand 'told in place between the rows oit guide-posts At. the end of the latter -15 degrees of revolution the row of pressure ports 33 will pass out of register withy the pressure channels 27, and the upper row of suction ports 31 will register with the upper ends of the suction channels 25 thereby sucking the web to the right-hand cylinder again. When the cylinders have rotated approximately degrees farther the 4upper row otpressure ports .33""Nvvfil1-:z come intofrcgister with the vpressure channels 27p. in the left-hand cylinder andl will continue to be operative 'for approximately 15`ileg1ees faiitlier .when the parts will have reachedaposition` 180 degrees from thatshown..For all operative purpf'ises, however, the..,parts will, ,be in the identical position shown with the paper about to be drawn to the left-hand cylinder.

Zigzag foldlng machines in which alternate pressure and suction is used have been known; but the use of channels and ports located and operating asdescribed above is new and possesses the advantage that pressure is applied to one side of the web for a considerable portion of the revolution of one cylinder while suction is being applied to the other side of the web through the other cylinder; and this coperation of the suction and pressure serves lto form and lay the zigzag folds in a much more satisfactory manner than has beenl the case hitherto.

Ordinarily the web is creased or perforated before it is fed to the cylinders, but in the present invention this operation of creasing or perforating' is accomplished' by means carried by the cylinders themselves. And to this end each cylinder is provided with the following devices: Perforating or creasing blades 37 bent at a right angle and extending throughout the length of the cylinder are held in place by steel clamping members 39 which in turn may be fastened to the cylinder by any suitable means such asscrews, said blades being located adjacent the pressure ports 33 and having their Shanks perforated -in line with said ports. The cylinder is also provided with cutting beds in the form of brass rods 41, said rods being held in place by two steel clamping pieces 43, 45 which may in turn be fastened to the cylinder by any suitable fastening means. These clamping members for the brass rods, it will be noted, are spaced so as to permit the edge of the blade to reach the rod which forms the cutting bed.

The creasing or perforating means associated with the right-hand cylinder has been described above; that of the left-hand cylinder is identical, and to the corresponding elements have been given the same reference numerals with' the exponent Further description of the operation of the machine is believed to be unnecessary. It should be noted, however, that the suction ports are located adjacent the cutting beds so thatthe paper is firmly held during the perforating operation.

Referring now to Figs. 3 and 4 the stationary chamberedmember 107 has an enlarged portion 108 in the form of a cylinder, the outei surface of which serves as a bearing for the folding cylinder 129. The end of the bearing cylinder is closed by the circular flange 110 of a second stationary member 112. l The members 107 and 1-12 are in effect asingle member, being held` together by screw bolts 114 and being held fast in the frame 101 of the machine by screw bolts 116. There is thus roduced a stationary bearing member, in t e interior of which lis a chamber 118 in which is located a fan having vanes 120 fastened to the webs 122 of hubs by means of screws 124 said hubs being in turn pinned to a shaft 126 as shown the chamber 108. A collar 134 pinned tothe shaft 126 prevents it from becoming displaced.; and a gear 130 is fast to the folding cylinder 129 and provides means for rotating said cylinder'. Two rows of suction ports 131 extending lengthwise of the folding cylinder have their individual members so spaced as to be in line with the suction channels 125 with which they register at given intervals. And similarly two rows of pressure ports 133 are arranged to register with the pressure channels 127. Perforating blades Y137 and cuttin beds 111 lare mounted upon the folding cyhnders.

The right-hand portion of the mechanism, as viewed in Fig. 1, has been described. The left-hand portion is of similar construction, andto the corresponding elements have been given the same reference numerals with the A exponent When the fans and cylinders are revolved in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 and a web oflpaper 100 is fed to said cylinders, said web will be sucked to that cylinder the suction ports of which register with its suction channels, the air being slightly compressed in4 the. chamber-ed member, and, as soon as ,the pressure vports register with the pressure channels, the web will be stripped from the cylinder. And in order to increase the force of the pressure there may be provided, if desired, spring-pressed ball valve 140 for permittin a stronger current of air to be force through the pipe 132 and pressure ports 133. The operation of the modification which has just been described is the same, so far as the web of paper is concerned, as that ofthe' machine` shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and will not be set forth further in detail.

Referring now to Figs. 5 and 6, in which a.`

-i need be described.

Formed in the periphery of the folding cylinder are two sets of grooves or sockets a one-way Q02 in which two rows of curved stripping fingers 204- normally lie. the fingers of each row being fast at their inner ends to an act-uating rod 20G. said-rod being rotatably held in longitudinal grooves in the cylinders by fastening plates .208 which may be held to the cylinders in any suitable manner as by screws; or the rods may be mounted in bores in the wall of the cylinder, the essential feature being that said rods shall be capable of angular movement about their axes. in the illustrative machine the stripping lingers 204 are fast to arms 210 on the rodse said arms being capable of being received in sockets 212.

As has been stated the stripping ngers normally lie in soclrets in the periphery of the cylinder in the manner indicated in the upper portion of the right-hand cylinder shown in Fig. In order to cause the fingers to move outwardly about the axis of the rods 206 at the proper time, a cam member Ql-l having a cam way 216 is fastened to the stationary member 21S b v a set screw 220. Rollers 22S rotatably mounted upon spindles 222 travel in the cam way 216. the spindles of said rollers heilig larried by arms 224: which are fastened to the rods 20G by set screws 226. The outline of the cam way 216 is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5 from which it will be seen that the lingers begin their outward movement approximately a quarter revolution after the corresponding row of the suction ports 231 has passed out of 'register with the suction channels rhe stripping means in the present modification thus comes into operation at. approximately the same time that the correspomling stripping means do in the two previous modilieations during the time that the web is being sucked into contact with the opposite cylinder'.

It should be noted that the set screw 220 permits adjustment of the cam 2li so as to vary the time of actuation of the fingers :204, and that said fingers are spaced apart so as to permit them to pass the posts 235.

The operation ofthe machine shown in Figs. 5 and G will be clear from'the operation of the machine shown in Figs. l and 2 and will not be described in detail. lt will be suflicient to explain that the web 100 is alternately sucked to one or the other cylinder 299. 229 by air drawn through the channels 225, 225. and then stripped from the cylinders by the fingers 204. Q04.

Attention is directed to the fact that each embodiment ot the invention comprises stationary chambered bearing members provided with peripheral channels communicating with the interior thereof., means for drawing air through said channels. folding cylinders rotatable upon said members and having rowsof ports which register at intervals with creasing or perforating means -carried by said channels, coperating' insepois said cylinders, whereby the web is creased or perforated and then carried first in one direction and then in the other to produce oppositely extending folds. and means for stripping the folds from 'the cylinders and laying them in zigzag form.

Although the invention has been set forth in connection with certain illustrative machines, it should be understood that the invention is not limited in the scope of its application to the particular machines shown and described.

Having thus described my invention what l claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, said cylinders being provided with rows of suction ports adapted to seize portions of the web and carry them alternately in opposite directions, creasing or perforating beds mounted in said cylinders in close proximity and parallel to said rows of suction. ports, and creasing or perforating plates also mounted in said cylinders and arranged to cope ate with said beds approximately simultaneously with the beginning of the action of the suction ports and at approximately the same location'on the web.

2. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, cooperating means, carried by said cylinders for creasing or perforating said web at intervals, means for applying suction to portions 0f said web alternately whereby alternate portions are drawn first to one cylinder and then to the other to produce folds, and stripping means associated with each cylinder and adapted to act upon one side of the web during the latter' part of the time that the suction means of the other cylinder is acting upon the opposite side of said web.

3. A machine of the class described having in combination. two stationary chambered bearing members arranged side by side and provided with peripheral channels connected with the interior thereoft creasing or perforating means, a pair of revoluble cylinders byvwhich said means are carried, said cylinders being provided with rows of ports which register alternately with the channels whereby a web received between said cylinders is folded first in one direction and then in the other, and means associated with each cylinder' for stripping oit the folds and laying them in zigzag form, such means corresponding in number to the number of rows of suction ports.

4. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revolnble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, coperating means carried by said cylinders for creasing or perforating said web atpredetermined intervals, means for holding alternate portions of said web first upon one cylinder and then upon the other during part of the revolution of said cylinders whereby folds extending in opposite directions are produced, and mechanical means carried by said cylinders for stripping the folds therefrom.

5. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, cooperating means carried by said cylinders for creasing or perforating said web at predetermined intervals, suction means for holding alternate portions of said web first upon one cylinder and then upon the other during part of the revolution of said cylinders whereby folds extending in opposite directions are produced, andmechanical means carried by said cylinders for stripping the folds therefrom.

6. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, suction. means operated through openings in the peripheries of said cylinders adapted to seize portions of the. web and carry them alternately in opposite directions, and creasing or perforating means mounted in said cylinders in close proximity to said openings and arranged to act approximately simultaneously with the beginning of the operation of the suction seizing means and at approximately the same place on the web.

7. A machine of the class described having in combination a pair of revoluble cylinders adapted to receive between them a continuously fed web, coperating means carried by said cylinders for creasing or perforating said web at predetermined intervals, and means for holding alternate portions of said web first upon one cylinder and then upon the other during part of the revolution of said cylinders whereby folds extending in opposite directions are produced, said creasing or perforating means being constructed and arranged to act approximately simultaneously with the beginning of the operation of the holding means and at approximately the same placeon the web.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. i

t FRANCIS MEISEL.

Witnesses:

LAWRENCE S. BEARSE, HERBERT A. RHoADEs. 

